GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- After Sgt. Simeon Switzer completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Michigan Army National Guard, the 27-year-old knew he wanted to make a career of helping other veterans.

With his end goal being to work for federal Veteran Affairs, Switzer has another year until he receives his bachelor's in communications from Grand Valley State University. A recent scholarship from Plachta, Murphy & Associates will make attaining his degree a bit easier, he said.

This is the first year of the Plachta, Murphy & Associates veterans scholarship program. The firm started the annual scholarship of $500 to ease costs for veterans enrolled in a West Michigan college or university. Client relations director Jeremy Johnson said he hopes it inspires other businesses to provide resources to veterans.

“Even though these are small scholarships, the goal is to have other businesses look at this and see every bit counts,” Johnson said.

Spc. Desiray Moses, 23, of Kalamazoo, was also selected for the one-time scholarship. When deployed with the Army to Afghanistan in 2010, she tried to take online courses toward her bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Western Michigan University, but the credits wouldn't have transferred.

Now that she's home, she wants to teach in a rural area upon graduation next year. She said the scholarship will aid the cost of living for her and her 10-month-old daughter.

"It kind of made me more confident," Moses said.

Moses and Switzer were selected from 20 veterans who applied for the scholarship. Johnson said he hopes the scholarship expands in coming years.

Switzer said he appreciates the firm's effort to make the "odds and ends" of college education more affordable.

“Veterans services has been a passion of mine and to see businesses get involved, whether it be from hiring veterans or providing scholarships, is incredibly encouraging,” Switzer said.